More Than Meets the Eye
by nikesilvermoon
Summary: We all know Sokka: tactical, genius, witty, sarcastic, meat-loving. That's all really anyone's come to expect from the only non-bender of the Aang. But what if Sokka has been hiding a greater ability from his friends, one so secretive that even Katara didn't know about it? One-shot.


**Hey, Nikesilvermoon here! I'm becoming quite frustrated with not finding stories where Sokka is secretly a bender or unaware that he is one. But then again, if one wants to get something done, they have to do it themselves. I may or may not turn this into a full story... depends on my schedule and schoolwork.**

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**Legacy**

The crisp night air was filled with the signs of late spring: the crickets chirped and the fireflies blinked merrily, rainbow dusted flowers opened their delicate blossoms, stems waving gently with the evening breeze, ready to spread their delicious pollen, the infinite stars shining brightly against the pitch black of the dark blanket that covered the heavens. Unbeknownst to all, a shadowy silhouette glided in the darkness, letting the night envelope it like a silent ninja. Except for the gently whooshing of the tail, no sound came from the gentle titan.

Sokka didn't really understand why Aang insisted that he take watch, and why he was sitting on Appa's head in the middle of the night. Even though he knew there was a high risk of an attack by Fire Nation soldiers, all he could hear was the constant buzzing of newly emerged adult cicadas trying to find a mate. Besides, he was the supposedly "weak" non-bender among a group of powerful elementals that can all take down an imperial army if they wanted. What have they got to lose if a small, ragtag squad of bandits ambush them?

The teenager sighed, thinking of the possibilities of how each of the team could defeat the firebending scoundrels. Aang would do a little "airbending splice" and knock the oxygen out of their lungs. Only one element needed, thank you. Katara, in all her prowess, would either freeze the soldiers or douse them with a tsunami sized tidal wave. Toph, on the other hand, was blind, so she would use her feel of vibration to pinpoint their location and try to impale them with stone spikes.

Readjusting his grip on Appa's reigns, Sokka turned his head back to look fondly at each sleeping member of the group. He smiled softly as Aang, Katara, and Toph snuggled up into each other, enjoying the relative comfort of Appa's saddle. Reverting his eyes back to the horizon ahead, Sokka returned to his previous thoughts, if all of his friends could theoretically take an entire army down, where does this leave a boomerang welding, sarcastic, meat loving warrior?

Though Aang was the Avatar, Sokka was the leader of the group by default, as he was the oldest. The teenage warrior took it upon himself to make the group had all the supplies the needed, everyone was clean and groomed, a sufficient plan was in place to defeat the evil Firelord, and the constant upkeep of the so-called Master Schedule. Even though the group agreed that Sokka's membership and contributions were invaluable, Sokka still felt left out every time it would come to training. When that time came, he would have no choice but to go far away from the "squish Sokka" zone.

Of course, he took great care to cover up his insecurities in front of his friends. They didn't need a awkward teenager who was still going through puberty put on a performance full of stage fright and stuttering. What they needed was a strong role model to guide them through the hardships of this journey and direct them in the right path. Sokka put on that mask with his witty comments and a sarcastic attitude. If only he could just talk his problems out with the group, like when they all had come to him for advice and therapy with that fake beard. If it only was as simple as that.

Sokka raised his hands and stared at the callouses and scars gained over the last few months of travel and adventure. Seeing that his team mates were still sound asleep, he was almost tempted to unlock the barriers around his soul and just let the powers flow unrestricted through his fingertips. He would revel in the feel of finally manipulating his chi without feeling any restrictions and let out that pressure that was building up in him for too long.

He was only small child when his powers first surfaced. Hakoda returned from fishing one day to find his son staring in awe at the radiant colours of the licking flames, which were bouncing up and down in a merry dance, enjoying the warmth of itself in the freezing Antarctic winter. But what shocked the chief of the Southern Water Tribe wasn't the fire, but where it was coming from. Sokka had a panicked look on his face as the potent blue flames continued to follow his movements.

"Daddy, what is happening to me!" A six-year old Sokka cried, waving his hands desperately, trying to quell to growing flames. Hakoda didn't need a firebending master to tell him to his son was only making the fire worse, and soon, was going to burn down the entire igloo, along with their food and winter provisions. Thinking on his feet, the level-headed father sprang to where his precious son was, and lay a comforting hand on his back.

"Listen to me, son," Hakoda whispered in a soft voice. "There is nothing to fear. Just stop waving your arms and breathe for a moment, everything's going to be fine."

"What's happening to me?! Why are did fire just suddenly appear when I waved my hands?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" At this point, Sokka's voice have risen to a panicked shout, his nimble fingers clawing desperately to seize control of the impending disaster. Sweat was starting to soak through Hakoda's thick winter coat.

"Sokka, listen. Just relax. Everything's going to be fine. Everything will be all right." This time, the chief of the Southern Water Tribe gently wrapped his lean arms around his crying sons, humming the lullaby that his wife used to hum to his children before she got killed in that fateful fire nation raid.

"Daddy.." Sokka muttered weakly as the flames finally begin the die down. The young warrior collapsed in his father's arms, overwhelmed by the sheer exhaustion of his first time bending. Hakoda held his son in his arms until the wee hours of the morning.

Since that day, Sokka had been extremely careful to hide his abilities. According to his dad, he must, not under any circumstances, reveal his power in front of anyone. This would risk him to be shunned within the tribe, even exiled, or worse, killed for being a Fire Nation "spy." For most of his childhood, Sokka struggled to hold his power, back, to resist the warm feeling to would spread from his inner heart from time to time, to ignore the powerful, tempting flow of chi that all benders experience when they are unleashing their powers.

Sokka balled his hands into a fist again, restraining the chi that threatened to flow in them once again. He knew that he couldn't keep the game up for long. Ever since this epic journey started, Sokka has felt the fiery hotness of his internal fire slowly creeping out of his heart, the warmth of his chi steadily spreading through his vessels, bones and muscles. He knew that if he contained the fire any longer, the could go mad, or even worse, his body could suddenly spontaneously combust.

With the Milky Way gleaming brightly up ahead, the crickets chirping their cheerful tunes among the stalks of grass, the fireflies flying joyously, blinking their iridescent lights, Sokka took a deep breath. Just once, he will let his chi flow unrestricted through his energy paths. Just this once, he will give in to all temptation.

Taking another deep breath and gathering all his chi, Sokka shifted into a low crouch and punched his fist forward at lightning speed. Instantly, it felt like the burden of this whole war was lifted off his shoulders. A blue fireball, luminescent and white-hot, formed at the end of his fist and shot toward the black fabric covering the heavens. It exploded, making the sound of fireworks, tearing a hole for light just wide enough for Sokka to see the beauty of the vast grassland they were traveling above, bathing in a shower of blue light. Feeling satisfied, Sokka relaxed his stance, sitting down on Appa to enjoy the beauty of his own fireworks. A small smile touched his face. When the war is over, he thought, I will finally be able to train under a master and-

"Sokka, what was that glowing ball of fire that just came out at the end of your fist?" Sokka abruptly turned his head at the bewildered voice that startled him. There, staring open mouthed at him, was Aang and Katara, with Toph looking at everyone in comfusion. Sokka inwardly facepalmed, the explosion from his fireball must've woken them up.

"SOKKA!" Katara shouted, making the teenager jolt up in attention. "Would you mind explaining to me what just happened?" Her eyes narrowed and her hands came to a rest on her hips.

Sokka gulped audibly. Well, this will be very fun.


End file.
